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| From | Michael Bennett <mrhonorama@ameritech.net> |
| Subject | Re: Antony and The Johnsons |
| Date | Mon, 21 Mar 2005 11:58:16 -0800 (PST) |
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I saw A & the Js live on a double bill w/Shivaree
(nice jazzy/bluesy rock with the bonus of Graham Maby
on bass!). I described them to a friend as sounding
like they were gunning for NME's best new artist
citation...for 1972. The piano based music really
smacks of Hunky Dory Bowie and early Elton John, in
spots. The songs are spotty, sometimes going nowhere.
But what really turned me off were the vocals -- the
use of vibrato was excessive -- like Tiny Tim
operating a jackhammer. His overreliance on this
aspect of singing undercuts whatever expressiveness
he's trying to achieve. So the concept is better than
the execution.
Mike Bennett
--- Mark Eichelberger <markeichelberger@comcast.net>
wrote:
> Based on an article and review in a recet Mojo, I
> decided to pick up CDs by Antony and the Johnsons;
> his self titled debut and the recently released 'I
> Am A Bird'.
>
> After giving both albums quite a few spins this past
> weekend, I still have a pretty hard time descibing
> his music. The best I can come up with is to
> imagine that the late Nina Simone is being channeled
> through the body of an gender-confused gay man who
> is being backed by an arty chamber pop band. I
> would imagine fans of Rufus Wainwright or Devendra
> Banhart (who both supply vocals to the new album)
> would really enjoy these discs.
>
> As for me, while I found a few of the song a bit
> tedious, for most of the tracks, I found myself
> drawn in by the beauty of the arrangements. I
> would imagine Antony's dramatic vocal phrasing (and
> vibrato) could be a turnoff to some (or many), but
> after repeated listenings, I became quite used to
> it. I would be interested to know what others think
> of these releases...
>
> Mark E.
>
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